Lizards Trade MLL Veteran Nicky Polanco to Bayhawks

BOSTON, Mass. (Thursday, May 17, 2012) - Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league announced Thursday that All-Star defenseman Nicky Polanco has been traded from the Long Island Lizards to the Chesapeake Bayhawks in exchange for the rights to their 2012 1st round Collegiate Draft pick C.J. Costabile. In addition, the Bayhawks obtained both a 2013 and 2014 2nd round Collegiate Draft pick while the Lizards received a 2013 5th round Collegiate Draft pick.

“I’m very excited to be a Bayhawk,” said MLL veteran Nicky Polanco. “Long Island was great but I think it was time for me to move on. My heart will always be in Long Island but again it was time for me to move on and be a part of the Bayhawks. I really respect Coach Cottle, his staff and the organization as a whole. I’m really excited to be part of a new organization and a new family so to speak.”

Polanco, a two-time MLL Defensive Player of the Year has not played in the Lizards' two games this year and he will now join former teammate Brian Spallina on the field for Chesapeake.

“It was definitely an added bonus," Polanco said. "Brian is like a brother to me and it’s been an honor and a pleasure to be playing with him for most of my career."

Polanco has played in MLL since 2002, starting his career with the Philadelphia Barrage and then moving to the Lizards in 2005. Throughout his career, Polanco has played in 102 games, has recorded 365 ground balls and 73 penalty minutes.

“We are excited to get a perennial All-Star to play for the Chesapeake Bayhawks,” head coach Dave Cottle stated. “His leadership, passion, and ability to be a great teammate were added factors in this decision. We were able to get a player to help our team now as well as more picks to build our team for the future. As of right now we have one 1st, one 2nd, two 3rd, and two 4th round picks in the 2013 Collegiate Draft. We have the ability to pick up 6 of the top 32 players coming out of college next year. This helps us win now and in the future.”

The Bayhawks travel to Hamilton to take on the Nationals on Friday, May 18, 2012 for their second road game of the season. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com at 11:00 a.m. ET. Follow @thebayhawks and @natioanlslax on Twitter for live updates and watch the replay at 9pm on Saturday, May 19th on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.

About Major League Lacrosse

Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded by Jake Steinfeld and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Major League Lacrosse commenced play in June of 2001 and will enter its twelfth season in 2012. MLL has continued to lead the sport of lacrosse into the mainstream of competitive team sports. The league is made up of eight teams: The Boston Cannons, Charlotte Hounds, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws, Hamilton Nationals, Long Island Lizards, Ohio Machine and Rochester Rattlers.